If Liberals Want to Win, We Need to Work Together

This article was written by Oz Bin Nun, head of LIBRAEL's content team. The opinions expressed are his alone.

The pro-choice protest in Wisconsin. "Alongside the chants for abortion rights, there were other signs."

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, my wife and I joined a protest in Wisconsin to stand up for women’s rights over their bodies. But during the march, something changed in me.

Alongside the chants for abortion rights, there were other signs - against Zionism, against capitalism, and even against the U.S. itself. I understand and respect the idea of intersectionality, but in real time - when the rights of tens of millions of women were being taken away - these messages not only strayed from the main issue, they created a sense of alienation. They made me, and many others, feel that there was no room in this just struggle for anyone who didn’t hold the full package of “correct” views.

I understand and respect the idea of intersectionality, but in real time these messages not only strayed from the main issue, they created a sense of alienation.

Instead of a broad front that invites partnership, we got an atmosphere of ideological purity tests. This isn’t just an aesthetic or rhetorical issue - it’s a strategic one. To secure political victories that can bring about much-needed change, our liberal brothers and sisters in the U.S. must broaden the ranks. But too often, they seem preoccupied with ideological purity tests instead of building political power.

The attempt to ensure “uniformity” causes harm - it pushes away moderate allies, deters potential supporters, and blocks the necessary expansion to win elections. In this way, the pursuit of justice leads to political disappointment, time and again.

Since October 7th, this phenomenon has only intensified. A small, unrepresentative group has taken over liberal discourse - creating a false impression that they speak for the entire camp. This group tries to set the tone, the language, and the boundaries of who is in and who is out.

The result: background noise from a minority that claims to speak for the majority, and a dynamic of exclusion instead of inclusion.

That’s how someone like me - who believes in equality, justice, human rights, and the pursuit of peace - finds himself “outside the camp” just because I believe Israel has the right to defend itself.

That’s how someone like me - who believes in equality, justice, human rights, and the pursuit of peace - finds himself “outside the camp” just because I believe Israel has the right to defend itself.

It’s important to understand: the problem isn’t just with the content, but with the pattern itself - shrinking the camp instead of expanding it, prioritizing ideological “quality” over the “quantity” needed to win.

The answer should not be a vague call for “open dialogue,” and there sure are views that have no place in liberal discourse (such as support for the expulsion of Gazans). But we need a deeper understanding that pushing out allies, even if they “aren’t 100% on the same page with us,” harms the entire liberal effort.

To overcome this, we must adopt a different kind of politics, one that recognizes the value of everyone who identifies with basic liberal values - human rights, equality, and peace - and gives them a real place inside the “big tent” of the struggle.

Facing a populist, unpopular, sectarian, far-right government, the Israeli public launched a determined, consistent, diverse, and cross-sector struggle - and for that reason, in many ways, it is effective

In this context, Israel’s liberal protest movement is not just an interesting case - it’s a test case that we can all learn from.

Facing a populist, unpopular, sectarian, far-right government, the Israeli public launched a determined, consistent, diverse, and cross-sector struggle - and for that reason, in many ways, it is effective.

A pro-democracy protest outside the Knesset.

My fellow American liberals, you can learn a lot from us: how to build a truly broad camp, how to deal with moral dilemmas under pressure, and how to uphold moral principles from a place of inclusion - not exclusion.

If you do this, you will win twice: you’ll choose to embrace those who share your values, and gain practical tools to build a protest that can truly change reality.

Oz Bin-Nun is a social justice activist and a philosophy and psychology student. He leads LIBRAEL's content team.